Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Vet Tech Open House for New Facility - Tuesday Evening, March 21

People interested in the Vet Tech program and those in the animal care field can see the new facility in person during an open house on Tuesday, March 21 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Vet Tech facility is in the building that formerly housed the Art Department, next to the Wallace North building on the Gallatin campus at 1480 Nashville Pike. The open house will feature tours and refreshments will be served.

This is a story about the new facility:

The veterinarian hooks up EKG leads
to a stuffed husky toy. The students watch and make comments. They will see
this done many times with real canine patients. But it is the ability to have a
clear view of the action that is the real story here. When it comes to
veterinary care, seeing is learning, and that means having room for students to
clearly observe instructors in a modern clinical setting. The redesigned
building that now houses the Veterinary Technology program at Volunteer State
Community College is five times larger than the old facility. An entire class
can watch a surgical procedure performed on a dog. They can see exactly how the
equipment needs to be set up for the x-ray of a cat. Being able to fit more
students in a surgery suite or radiology area has additional benefits.

“Now we can have first and second
year students in on the same days,” said Vet Tech director, Dr. Hope Wright,
DVM. “I think that interaction between students will bring a lot to the
program.”

“All of them working together means
that they’re learning together,” said instructor D.J. Smith, LVMT. “Second year
students help to teach the first year students and that teaching cements their
learning. This facility is also designed to emulate a clinic. We have a
grooming facility, kennels and even a reception area.”

“It’s super nice,” student Jamie
Reed of Lebanon said. “We were in one room before and we were all cramped; we
didn’t have a whole lot of room to move around. Our whole class can be in the
new surgery suite.”

“There’s more room for
demonstrations,” said student Lane Silcox of Carthage. “We actually have specific
lab rooms now, instead of having labs in the classroom.”

Bright light throughout the building
allows for better viewing of details. There are facilities to house animals on
site, which helps when the director does spay and neuter operations on animals
from the Sumner County Animal Control. Those operations are observed and
assisted by students. The hands-on nature of the Vol State Vet tech program has
proven successful. Last year 19 students graduated and 17 of those students
were employed immediately. Vol State offers a two-year Veterinary Technology
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S) degree for those wanting to be Veterinary
Technicians. The A.A.S program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical
Association (AVMA). There is also a one-year Veterinary Assistant certificate
for students seeking employment as Vet Assistants.